"A bewitching vibrantly woven tale of female strength and fortitude in the early Middle Ages."
Vivid and spirited, Dark Earth spins a magical tale that feels as though it could have been passed down through the ages. After their father dies, Isla and Blue seek sanctuary in the remains of Londinium. I simply adore the mention of the brooch in the Author’s Note at the beginning, this introduction and the brooch stayed with me as I read. Costa award-winning Rebecca Stott creates a land and story that is easy to slip into. The descriptions imprinted themselves in my minds eye. This female-led tale is a melting pot of religions and cultures at a time when England was dominated by warlords scrambling for power. The two main characters each display different strengths that act as a magnet for the other. I felt as though this story could sit with the legend of Arthur, as though it has always been in existence, as part of a truth. The ending feels almost touchable, and I would be very happy to discover that there is more to come from this time and community. Oh, and I adore the cover, it’s not only stunning, it also speaks perfectly of the contents. I’ve chosen Dark Earth as a Liz Pick of the Month, thoughtful and engaging it spins history, magic and myth together quite beautifully.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
The new novel from the Costa-Award winning author of In The Days of Rain.
AD 500. An island in the Thames.
Isla has a secret: she has learned her father's sophisticated sword-making skills at a time when even entering a forge is forbidden to women. Her sister, Blue, has a secret, too: at low tide on the night of each new moon, she visits the bones of the mud woman, drowned by the elders of her tribe who wanted to make a lesson of someone who wouldn't hold her tongue. When the local Seax overlord discovers Isla's secret there is nowhere for the sisters to hide, except across the water to the walled ghost city, Londinium. Here Blue and Isla find sanctuary in an underworld community of squatters, emigrants, travellers and looters, led by the mysterious Crowther, living in an abandoned brothel and bathhouse. But trouble pursues them even into the haunted city.
Dark Earth takes us back to the very founding of Britain to explore the experience of women trying to find kin in a world ruled by blood ties, feuds and men in quest of a nation.
Dark Earth features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Recommendations, Fantasy, Fiction: Traditional stories, myths and fairy tales, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Narrative theme: Displacement, exile, migration, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Fiction, Fiction: narrative themes
Dark Earth is available in Paperback, Ebook, Hardback
Dark Earth was written by Rebecca Stott and published by Fourth Estate Ltd an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Dark Earth has 344 pages
£8.99
